Cheese smothered French fries, melting molten chocolate lava, tubs of pure processed sugar…oh, you know you like it, fatty. Join us as we take a walk down gluttony lane, sampling twenty-five of Shanghai’s most irresistible, belt-busting dishes:

Hot Chocolate Cake at Morton’s Steak House
Excuse the terrible pun, but chocolate lava cake takes the cake when it comes to indulgent desserts. Morton's is baked fresh in-house and injected with a warm, gooey liquid core. If fruit on the side seems too healthy for you then go for Morton’s sundae—it’s the same cake topped with three heavy scoops of vanilla ice cream and enough whipped cream to make a Cool Whip factory worker jealous.

Majiang Mian at Wei Xiang Zhai
This hole-in-the-wall has some sinful majiang mian, hand-strung noodles smothered in creamy sesame paste and chili oil (RMB8). They taste exactly like peanut butter, only with a spicy kick.

Taiwanese Fried Chicken at Super Chicken
These stands are everywhere, and everything in them is deep-fried and covered in MSG. The cutlets (RMB13) are the staple dish, but their popcorn chicken and yam fries are similarly naughty.

Cheese Beef at Latina
These succulent chunks of beef are marinated in cheese for 24 hours before they’re grilled. The extra fatty upside? You can only get it with the all-you-can-eat Brazilian barbecue option (RMB268) .

Di San Xian at Harbin Fengwei Xiaochi 
哈尔滨风味小吃
There’s no better spot than here for disanxian (RMB15), the fried, sauce and oil-slathered Dongbei dish of thick-cut potatoes, peppers and eggplant.

Pork Broth Ramen at Kota’s Kitchen
Kota’s Yokohama ramen (RMB45) is a magical thing. To start, milky bones are cooked down for hours into pork essence to create a glossy broth that launches wannabes like Ajisen into the deepest circles of shame. To the creamy broth he adds pliant ramen noodles, a slice of roasted pork, half a soy-braised egg, a dab of salty cod roe and a scattering of green onion. Slurp the noodles and revel in the brown butter flavor of the unctuous broth.

Burrito at Pizza To Go
If you like fat and cheap, this is the dish for you. Just RMB18, the monstrous wrap is highlighted (literally) by a heaving layer of melted processed cheese.

Pork Street Toast at The Grumpy Pig
This chewy sliced baguette (RMB35) is topped with fragrant, fatty ground pork with sweet potatoes (both mashed and shredded, of course), coated in rice flour and deep fried until golden. The smear of sweet chili sauce atop each greasy, porky parcel is the perfect finish.

Stuffed Youtiao at Paul’s 保罗酒楼
This being Shanghai, youtiao definitely deserve a place on our list. But Paul’s youtiao haixian juan (RMB30) goes one step further: the owner Westernized this snack to create a heavily sauced variation with minced seafood stuffed into the fried dough sticks and a thick thousand island dressing applied lavishly on top. It may sound unorthodox, but the layers of sweet, sour, crunchy and soft explode on the tongue one after another with every bite.

Mac and Cheese at Boxing Cat Brewery
Macaroni and cheese is sublime on its own, but everything’s better deep-fried. Boxing Cat Brewery’s croquettes (RMB45) come four a plate, cheesy, creamy elbow noodles encased in a thick, crispy coating of breadcrumbs. These go well with beer, but even better with a black and white milkshake.

Pineapple Bun at Xin Wang 新旺
Technically speaking, there are two versions of this Cantonese pastry: one with butter (boluo you, 菠萝包) and one without (boluo bao, 菠萝包). We’ve obviously gone for the former here, as Xin Wang’s buns (RMB5) come out piping hot with a thick slab of velvety butter sandwiched within. Be sure to wait a sec before you bite in—butter’s always better a little melty.

Icing at City Shop
For pure, unadulterated sugar, skip the white carbs and just grab a tub of frosting (RMB35). To really scrape bottom you’ll need cutlery or, in a pinch, chopsticks, but if you’re on the go, you can use your finger. We humbly suggest buttercream, but Shanghai’s not a town known for its cake toppings, and beggars can’t be choosers.

Stuffed Duck at Ye Olde Station Restaurant
We’ve stayed away from foie gras this issue, but that’s no reason to ignore duck completely. It is, after all, the bacon of poultry. This historic restaurant takes things one step further by stuffing whole birds with sticky rice (nuomi fan, 糯米饭, RMB158) to create an irresistible amalgamation of sweet, hearty filling and oily duck meat.

Cinnamon Buns at Madison
Chef Austin Hu knows his baked goods. His brunch menu’s full of them, including drool-worthy donuts fresh out of the fryer. Our pick of the lot, though, is the enormous cinnamon roll (RMB26). Each warm, doughy layer peels apart to reveal fragrant cinnamon, it’s all topped off with a generous portion of sweet, sugary icing.

Cheese Dumplings at Tentekomai
This Japanese izakaya is known for its bite-sized gyoza, but for something more fattening, go for the “Mexican dumpling pizza” (RMB45). A four-gyoza pile connected by an underlying raft of pan-fried cheese, it’s a perfect late-night munchie cure.

Nachos at Cantina Agave
October 21st is International Day of the Nacho, but why stuff your face but once a year? Cantina Agave’s macho nachos (RMB75) is a teetering tower of tortilla chips topped with guacamole, sour cream, refried beans, melted cheese and enough jalapeños and olives to warrant mouthwash.

Ice Cream Sundae at glo London
English political conspirator, Guy Fawkes was not a fat man, but “The Guy Fawkes” (RMB98), glo London’s towering tribute to him, will make you one. Chocolate and vanilla ice cream are dotted with crushed shortbread, mini marshmallows, chocolate brownie, chocolate and peanut butter shavings and toasted almonds before the whole lot is covered with an enormous dollop of house-made whipped cream.

Burgers at Caliburger
The new kid on the block has been making waves since they put up their first signs, and it’s already getting some rave reviews. Caliburger uses Aussie beef and fresh veggies (don’t worry, there’s still ample grease) and the burgers (from RMB28) are fleshed out with melted cheese and a piquant sauce, but the thing that really makes them stand out is the bun—they’re toasted straight on the grill, giving the entire thing a bit of extra crunch and an almost imperceptible caramel-gilded edge.

Chicken Wings at Bubba's Texas-style Bar-B-Que and Saloon
For pure barbecue perfection, look no further than Bubba's. Their wings are rubbed with Bubba's own dry rub, smoked and then actually cooked on a grill (and served with the city's creamiest blue cheese dip). It's the real deal.

Hongshao Rou at Yuan Yuan 圆苑
Of course this is in our fatty issue—the dish is half fat. Most local spots will serve you well, but Yuan Yuan is our favorite.

Éclair at Pâtisserie de France
This éclair (RMB12) is tops in town. It’s crammed full with a plush, absolutely heavenly chocolate crème filling, all just barely held together by a soft, simple casing. You’ll surely finish ’em quick; we’d swallow them whole if we could.

Stuffed French Toast at Munchies
Yes, it's another stuffed dish. What did you expect? If you’re an early morning fatty (or just a very hungover one), head to Munchies for one of their three types of stuffed French toast (RMB32). We especially like the cream cheese and blueberry compôte option, but all come with bacon or sausage and a huge pile of home fries on the side. Dip it in a milkshake if you’re feeling especially adventurous.

Poutine at Massé Bistro & Bar
Poutine has got to be one of the heartiest dishes ever created, a Quebecois creation forged out of the Canadian province’s relentlessly cold winters. So what is it? Fries. With cheese curds and gravy on top, all mixing together to become as warmingly fattening as it sounds. It’s also undeniably irresistible after a few beers, and Massé has given the dish (RMB35 or RMB25 on Thursdays) as much justice as they possibly could in Shanghai. Thick fries are doused in a torrent of gravy and shredded mozzarella, and though Massé doesn’t have the requisite cheese curds (nobody here does), the bar is going the extra mile to develop their own locally—with any luck, they’ll be on the menu by March.

Egg Tarts at Lillian Cake Shop
As you take your first bite, the soft, sweet, flaky pastry crumbles in your mouth and your teeth sink into a thick layer of an incredibly mushy sweet custard filling that bares a slight resemblance to crème brûlée. You’ll see, this egg tart (RMB3.5) definitely lives up to its reputation.

Shengjianbao at Yang’s Fried Dumplings
They’re like xiaolongbao’s dirty homeless brother. And we mean that in the best way. Shengjianbao can be tricky to eat, so our advice is to bite the skin, suck out the oil, suck out more oil, finish the oil, then sink into the pork within before crunching onto the fried bottoms.

Did we leave out your favorite fatty food? Leave us a comment below.

Words by Sophie Friedman, Geoff Ng, Julie Levin, Susie Gordon, Christina Ng and Jimmy Chang